The Program 1978
by K.Henderson
Summary: Hogwarts senior class of '78 have been chosen for The Program. Only one student out of 56 must survive the Battle Royale. The story begins towards the end with 9 players. Will the Marauders make it out alive or succumb to the program and kill each other?
1. Chapter 1

**The Program**

**

* * *

-  
**

Chapter 1: Nine Students Remaining

Summary: _The final nine students are either hiding, playing or determined not to play the game. Deaths and betrayals are made painfully obvious._

* * *

**Class of 1978**

**Final Nine**

**S. Black Boy# 2 **

**L. Evans Girl# 5 **

**F. Longbottom Boy# 10 **

**R. Lupin Boy# 11 **

**P. Pettigrew Boy# 12 **

**J. Potter Boy# 19**

**A. Prewett Girl# 22**

**S. Snape Boy# 38**

**M. Zabini Boy# 56 **

* * *

**-Nine Students Remain**

Boy# 12, Peter Pettigrew prayed that he hadn't been seen. From the beginning of the game perhaps a day and a half ago, he had gone into the small village and had hidden within the oldest house. It had been easy work, all he had to do was break the window, clear the glass off the sill and climb in. The shutters were closed tightly. He had checked all of the other rooms of the house. It was secure. But now he had to leave, there are had been the announcement, Forbidden Zone, sector 12.

A part of him, the part that still believed that his friends mattered, bemoaned his decision in running away. He should have waited in the bush by the school for James. Several students would have come out before James Boy#19. Peter hadn't been willing to take the chance-play the game to win. He recalled Montoya saying exactly that, the director of this sick and twisted game. Play the game to win, kill or be killed. This entire program was designed to break social barriers, end friendships- everyone is equal, no one is better. You're friends will betray and kill you.

Peter was always one to be weak. He wasn't smart like Remus Boy#11, nor was charming like Sirius Boy#2. He wasn't strong like James. If they had decided to play the game! God! It would be Sirius, Sirius would play the game. Peter imagined it; he imagined how Sirius would take watch over the camp. When they were all asleep how he would hold their mouths closed and slit their throats with a shimmering sickle-the grim taking souls and laughing.

No-no he was being crazy now. This game was twisting his loyalties. His friends hadn't been announced on the broadcast at six this morning nor any times yesterday! What if they found a way out of this mess? They could, the remaining students, leave this island and leave the country! Sure, they would be fugitives but they wouldn't be alone! Remus and Snape Boy#38 were still alive they were intelligent surely they would be able to figure something out. And Sirius and Magnus Zabini Boy#56 had loads of family that had opposed the government! Surely they would help once they were free, right?

He knew what he had to do. With his mind made he swung his government supplied bag over his shoulder and clasped the kitchen knife in his hand. Crawling from beneath the kitchen table he set out the back door of the house-

PAP!

He didn't feel it at first no he was too busy with images of his friends and him riding off into the sunset on a boat. James was smiling on the deck as Sirius steered. Remus was reading a book as always. Lily Girl#5 and Severus were speaking to each other, standing incredibly close they always did. Magnus Zabini was by Sirius looking over a map while Alice and Frank Girl# 22 Boy# 10, were watching the sunset holding one another. Peter imagined the new beginning.

It was exactly three seconds before he realized what had just happened. He was falling forward.

PAP!

Another pop this time in his back rather then his neck. The taste of blood began to fill his mouth-_must have hit his lung! Damn it! I'm dying! I've been shot! I am going to die!_ His face hit the ground and slid, the skin at his high forehead peeling back against the wooden stairs. The assailant came from the brush, walked towards Peter and aimed.

The last image Peter saw was of Lily smiling at him. Her green eyes were shimmering and her red hair looked like fire. _'Peter, come on Peter join us!'_

_Don't mind if I do._

A small hole at the back of Peter's head spurted with blood but Peter didn't feel this, he was already dead the last person on his mind was Lily Evans smiling lovingly at him.

Frank Longbottom kicked the corpse of Peter Pettigrew so that it lay on its back. He got on bended knee and shut the tiny eyes and then folded the hands. He muttered in distaste at the weapon Peter had and tossed it to the side. He grabbed the day pack from the body and riffled through its contents stuffing the half litter water bottle in his own bag and the last remnants of bread.

We walked back into the foliage leaving the Peter behind.

He needed to get out of the Forbidden zone before 12:00 PM

**- Eight Students Remain**

**

* * *

-  
**

Alice Prewett Girl# 22 stared in horror at the scene before her. She hadn't believed it when Sirius Black Boy#2 had told her about the lighthouse but by the looks of it by the smell too he had been right. In front of her towards the stairs leading to the topmost part of the tower was Tae Li Girl# 6-younger sister to Alice's older sister's boyfriend Jin Li. Tae Li was small and sweet. Usually reserved and one of the most beautiful girls in her class Tae's long black hair was mattered in blood and bits of bone from some type of brute force.

Further into the lighthouse she could see the Greengrass twins. Beside them, the bloody hand of probably Genevieve Bones Girl# 4. There were others she was sure of it but Alice had no inclination in even going in. It was Tae's group of friends of course they had been together. And the dead girls all survived by older or younger brothers probably. She didn't know about Bones. Besides, Alice had something more important to do then gawk at the dead. _Frank is still alive_, she thought, _I have to find Frank!_

It occurred to her that maybe Frank may not want to be found. Before he had left the classroom she had slid Frank a note as he passed her desk. "Northern most point let's meet" Written right next to the line "we will kill each other". She had been careful having first teamed up with Snape and Lily (who had been waiting for Snape). They three had gone to the northern most point of the island, an empty cliff met them. No Frank, no sign of him.

_'I don't think he's coming, Alice.'_

_'It's been one hour, Prewett. I'm sorry to say but maybe he was attacked on his way here.'_

Lily and Snape had waited as long as they deemed safe. They'd asked her to go with them but she had declined stating that she was going to look for Frank. If she died in her search then they should not feel guilty.

"But where are you?" She whispered. "Be safe."

She turned on her heel, not giving the lighthouse another glance. She stared down the grassy knoll and took a deep breath-breathing in the scent of salt water.

She had to find Frank even if he didn't want to be found. She hadn't had the need to play the game since she had been careful in hiding and she didn't plan to play now. She would find Frank and they would kill each other, they would die together.

[Greetings, little warriors! Now to get stared with the announcements, after all we don't want to waste your precious time now do we. Let's start with the boys shall we? Boy number 14 Patrick Parkinson, Boy number 12 Peter Pettigrew. Now for the not so fair sex...]

Alice lost focus. She already knew which of the girls were dead. What shocked her was the announcement of Peter. She was sure that he would have found his friends-having been with Sirius just twenty minutes ago, he had mentioned looking for his friends to Alice. He knew that James and Remus were together-of course he had been with them. He had, however, decided to scout the area to find Peter. _He must be on his way back to Remus and James. They must be devastated!_

She didn't give it another thought as she tacked off the forbidden zones. After she was done with this she folded the map and made her way down the knoll towards...she wasn't sure where. The game would be over soon and she was sure she was going to die. She wanted to see Frank at least once more before she died, _just one more time. I'm coming Frank, please be safe please don't be dead._

As she walked down the hill and straight into the trees it was just past noon. She needed to be more careful, there was at least one student playing to win. If she had to put any money on it, her bet would be Zabini-

-Alice pivoted and stared directly into the barrel of a gun.

**PAP!**

Alice Prewett fell backward and hit the moist grass with a hard thud. Already dead she hadn't seen Frank holding the barrel of the gun to her head. Ironically, her final thought had not been about Frank but about Magnus Zabini and how he must have been the killer.

Frank looked down and shouldered the day pack. He took a moment in deliberation. He bent down, crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Alice would never know that Frank had betrayed her. Alice would never know that it was Frank that had infiltrated the light house and had killed Tae Li, the Greengrass twins and the rest of the little group of friends or that he had been the one to murder Peter who, coincidentally, had died just beyond the lighthouse in the small cluster of houses below.

Just like Frank would never know that Alice was pregnant and that she had known it would be a boy that she would call Neville.

**-Seven Students Remain **

* * *

Lily Evans Girl# 5 and Severus Snape Boy# 38 sat on the edge of the cliff on the opposite side of the lighthouse. They heard the gunshots but had no idea that Frank had killed the girls in the light house, Peter or Alice.

Since the beginning of the game they had been together. It was something that both were grateful for, Severus especially. When they had both woken in the classroom and had noticed the collars they had immediately known what was going on. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know anyway, they always paid attention in their history class-they had read all about the beginnings of the program, which had begun in 1952, a year after England began its isolationism.

"I'm glad you waited for me." Severus said.

"Me to." Lily rested her head against his bony shoulder, the same way she always did since they were kids. Her red hair was like a curtain covering some of her face. Severus could tell she was crying.

"I think this is a good a place as any." Severus said. He had to force his eyes away from the top of Lily's head and focus on the sky. The sun was in the distance, the blue ocean water was flush against the horizon, and Severus could see the dotting of naval ships ready to shoot anyone down as soon as they tried to escape.

He wanted to have more hope but simply didn't. The game was a simple one. Play to win, kill your friends, your classmates. Severus would have played and might have even won. Trouble was that Lily was in his class. Lily had skipped a year ahead and was in his grade. Lily was in the game with him. He couldn't kill Lily.

Her small hands came around his waist in a tight hug. She was shaking, so sad and so afraid. Severus wished he was better with words. He might just tell her that it was alright, that she wouldn't be alone in this. _Never ever alone Lils I'm with you._ He couldn't form the words at all.

"Hey Sev?"

"Yes?"

"I was just thinking," Her small voice flitted up at him. "-say you and I played, say that we killed off the rest of our classmates what would we do then? I certainly couldn't kill you I couldn't kill anyone. I think I would be perfectly alright with you killing me."

He lifted his hand and buried it in her red hair trying his best to comfort her. He remembered the week before-they had been to a movie, some romantic comedy he knew right away he would hate. Lily had been excited, he'd paid for the tickets and watched Lily as she watched the movie. Every time she laughed she was pretty. Every time she smiled she was pretty. Even when she almost cried she was pretty.

Severus had been friends with Lily Evans for a long time, since they were babies in their nappies, when Petunia was nice before James Potter and his merry band of idiots began to tease him. Severus had always loved Lily because she was his very best friend. Last week he had realized that he _loved_ her.

"Lily,"

"You have to live." She said suddenly. "You have to play the game to win, you have to live. I'm ending it right here for me, you see. I can't play this game I couldn't hurt a fly and certainly I can't kill you. I can't live without you." She lifted her head, her eyes gazing into his, green and shimmering with tears that began to run down her flushed freckled cheeks. She shoved her assigned weapon, a 9mm Pistol, into his hand. "Please live."

Even when she cried she was pretty.

He tossed the gun over the edge and watched it fall. The water looked warm, Severus thought.

"Well, I assume that you and I both shall not be able to see this to its end." He said. "What say you to a little dip?"

Her eyes were wide, watery but her pretty pink mouth was stretched into a smile that Severus copied which must have looked strange on his pale angular face and with his large nose because she began to giggle.

"Lily?"

She stopped laughing, stopped smiling. He held her cheek in his hand and sighed as he leaned his forehead against hers. He was going to die, they were going to die and somehow he wasn't able to tell her his feelings. _Severus, you fool!_

But she seemed to understand. She kissed him slowly at first clumsily but soon they kissed boldly open mouthed and passionate. They were going to die they would never get to do this again. They had to do it now. In words he couldn't say I love you, but in actions it was said loudly.

"Severus...I-"

A twig broke behind them shocking them both. They looked at each other, Lily began to cry again.

"Oh God." Remus' hand came to his mouth, his eyes widened at what he saw. He and James were hidden almost entirely by bushes and trees.

"Moony?" James Potter asked from beside him. He hadn't seen anything, he'd been too busy trying to come up with a plan of some sort, thinking about finding Lily and teaming up, getting back with Sirius and the others. He hadn't realized that the sound of his shoe breaking the twig beneath his foot had been what sent Lily and Severus...

"Moony who is it?" He tried looking over Remus only spotting an empty cliff and two day packs. No one was there, but he was sure he had heard voices.

"Cliff." Remus said. "They fell over the cliff."

Lily and Severus' bodies danced beyond the cliff falling into the storming blue water below. Neither knew how to swim, they knew this, they were going to drown, they hoped.

They held onto one another until losing consciences.

_Never ever alone Lils I'm with you I'm falling with you. I love you, Lily._

**-Five Students Remain**

**

* * *

**

**Karin:**

**I didn't start it from the very beginning because the story just didn't start in my head that way. How this story came to be-and it will be one of my shortest multi chapter stories- it came to be when I was reading the Battle Royale novel. Half way through it the thought struck me, I imagined Severus Snape and Lily Evans in their uniforms (teenagers obviously) with collars being thrust into this world. It evolved-I began to sketch them with their collars with their government supplied weapons (early on Lily had a semi automatic and Severus had a rusted army knife). **

**Eventually, I began to tinker with other students-obviously Lucius isn't here because he was starting his seventh year when Lily and Sev started their first. Same with the Black sisters and Arthur and Molly Weasley-although I think it might have made the story a bit better if they were in it-I did try to imagine how it would work with tinkering with their ages but it just didn't sit right with me. Also, Alice and Frank-it's never mentioned if they were in the Marauders school year so I improvised. I added Original Characters because they don't describe that many students during this time frame. Although I didn't stretch it too much. Su Li is in Rowlings time line things as someone in Harry's year thus Tae Li is Su Li's aunt. The Greengrass twins here are obviously related to Daphne and Astoria Greengrass and Magnus Zabini is obviously Blaise Zabini's father (though technically since this is an Alternate Universe and Lily has just died...it can be said that he would or will be Blaise's father like Lily would have been Harry's mother but wont be since she died-you get me?) **

**I shocked myself by killing Lily and Severus. I intended for them to be the Noriko and Shuya of this story but the image of them dying like Sakura and her beau was just too appealing and seemed realistic to their characters. Severus would have played if Lily were not there and Lily would never dream of killing her friends or fellow classmates because it's not in her character. She's too chivalrous and well, too Gryffindor for that. Dying together seemed appropriate-she and Severus kissed like lovers right before the end because they loved one another. It felt almost as though Book Severus got closure with this and dying with her is preferable then dying alone like the original character did (Harry was there but it didn't really count since Sev was imagining Lily and looking into Lily's eyes. I can imagine how alone he felt looking at them.)**

**Peter seemed likable in the beginning especially when he died. Peter is not a character I like but I tried to keep him honest to character pre betrayal. I think I did it right. Cowardly, weak and frightened-the fact that he imagined dying by Sirius and then berating himself for these thoughts almost makes up for the fact that he thought this in the first place. **

**It was particularly bothersome when Alice died. I didn't like it at all one bit and I especially hated the fact that she was betrayed by the father of her child (who was also betrayed by Frank incidentally Neville was again separated by his parents). Frank became the major bad guy because he simply chooses not to die. It's horrible that he's become the Kazuo of the story-I really don't see him that way. He did genuinely love Alice but he wasn't willing to die for her-it's basic instinct to protect yourself. Plus it is what The Program was designed to do. It makes you paranoid and to betray your friends. Peter told himself this in the beginning when he berated himself.**

**I know this might be dumb but I just had to do this. Read, review and don't flame-flames tend to make it impossible to continue and I really would like to finish. So far there are five students remaining. Magnus Zabini, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Frank Longbottom.**

**Who do you think is going to come out the winner?**


	2. Flashback Part One

**Chapter 2: Flashback**

_Part One_

* * *

**Summary: A review of the past day in a half, how the game began and the firsts to die.**

**

* * *

-  
**

Lily had shot James down again, what was it, five times in the past two hours already? It would have been pathetic if you didn't know how much he loved her and how far the devotion seeped, possibly to the very marrow of his bones. Sirius didn't much like to think about things like love in general. He hadn't had a good example of it growing up-his mother was a Grade A racist in everyone's opinion, his father was a world glass Casanova who not only cheated with grand priced whores but little boys too. His only relative, who he could probably respect up to a point, would be Uncle Alphard who had left him a pretty penny inheritance for being** "a gutsy little git who stands up for what he believes in"**-which it should be noted that Uncle Alphard was positively, barking mad.

Sirius wasn't shown love, he could not understand the feeling or why it made perfectly sane people such as James (though this can possibly be questioned), into acting like complete and utter buffoons and daft to rejection. He could not understand it at all! What he could understand about feelings were that of friendship, camaraderie and probably the most basic-lust. He was a pro of carnal needs and had slept with...well he couldn't remember the exact amount.

Sirius understood physical feelings, touching kissing canoodling in broom closets at school, but what he could not comprehend was why James Potter, his honorary brother, sought the need to whine, drool and sigh over a girl like _Perfect Lily Evans_ who, in Sirius' opinion was either into girls or into Snivillus. Sirius opted to believe the other half in mild distaste-it was the _most_ believable but, to even mention it to James? No, he's done it _once_, ended up with a fat lip and broken nose. Sirius had learned his lesson.

"Do ye fancy we'll be able to sneak away?" Darin Wood leaned across the isle to talk to Barty. Darin's seat was in front of Sirius and blocked his view of the pretty Greengrass twins sitting closest to the driver.

The girls had been talking quite closely and Sirius had had a great view of their heart shaped identical faces. "All for the best," He mumbled.

He straightened himself in his seat and looked towards the window to his right. Magnus Zabini appeared to be fast asleep. His dark handsome face was slightly obscured by long black bangs at an odd angle. His big body didn't look quite right in the seat-as though he were probably spilling from the sides due to all of his muscle.

"You're staring much too hard." Remus voice broke in. His brown eyes peered at him from above the rims of his glasses. "Is it because you cant see the twins that you find our other seating partner so fascinating?"

"I don't know what you mean." Sirius said and then jammed a thumb towards the back or specifically two rows down to the left. "What I do find fascinating is that Padfoot cannot take a hint. Do you see the size of that bruise already forming on his forehead? Evans packed all her strength into that one, I tell you."

"Well, love makes us do things," Remus shrugged. "-it makes us tolerate things we otherwise, would not."

"Like death threats, violence and attempted poison?"

"I still say the poisoning was an accident. And it wasn't Lily who made the chocolates, it was Severus."

"Point in case. Love makes us tolerate of things like going to the grave early or committing murder-and of course it was poison! Snivillus made the chocolates and he hates James."

Remus shrugged, you can't fight logic like that when the odds were, as rare as it came, in Sirius' favor. Remus returned to his book with a sigh-feeling in an oddly romantic mood-Ovid seemed to do that to him often. "He's in love?"

"Which one?" Sirius' eyes were on the odd seating partners. Lily was shoving James and Severus away from one another easily since she sat between them. James blew kisses at her and Severus threatened removal of a very vital part of regions belonging to a man by way of rusted spoon.

"I guess, you can probably assume they both are."

"Bloody popular that Evans is, don't you think Moony?"

"Absolutely."

Tae Li, a young girl who seemed two sizes too small for her uniform with large slanted eyes, peered from Remus side with a smile on her round white face. She was small, her body was not incredibly developed and she was shy-the perfect girl for someone like Remus to be absolutely in love with (which James said he was). Sirius didn't think she was beautiful or even that pretty, she was normal, average.

"Mr. Lupie (sounds like Mr. Loopy), Sirius? I was wondering if you were both hungry." She asked with her innocent almost sexless voice. It was sultry like the girls their age (seventeen) or deep like the boyish looking girls. There was no gender to her unless you counted her long black hair. She held up her hands which were holding a small bundle wrapped in clear shimmering paper that looked like rippling water. "I made cookies."

"Oh? For us?" Sirius asked. "Moony, did you hear that? Li's gone and made us a snack? Isn't that sweet?" there was a bit of teasing. He always reacted this way to Tae's bit of kindness. "I wonder which one of us she fancies."

"Don't be an idiot." Remus commented with a smile, the kind that made your eyes twinkle in delight accompanied by a small rise of color to the cheeks. "Thank you, Tae." He said to her in a voice that well, Remus only used for Tae-it usually made James and Sirius laugh out loud. Could Remus be anymore obvious?

"Oh! I-I had a batch left over-my older brother had wanted me to make cookies and I got carried away and well, what was I to do with all these cookies? My mother is dieting and my father absolutely hates sweets." Her face was the color of ripe tomato and her eyes were, while shifting to both Remus and Sirius, rested on Sirius a tad longer then what might have been necessary.

If James were sitting with them he might have quietly commented to Sirius to be mindful of Remus like he always did. Sirius however, didn't give it that much thought since girls tended to stare at him all the time anyway-what did it even mean?

It reminded him of two nights ago-yes, the orphanage where Remus volunteered. They had been sitting in the courtyard on the jungle gym. The weather was pleasantly cool for near summer and the sky was cloudless and glittered with millions of stars. Sirius was perched at the very top strumming on his guitar and humming while Remus sat below him, looking up into the sky.

_"Moony, is there something or someone on your mind?"_

Remus shifted a little uneasily, caught off guard by Sirius' astute observation as it was incredibly rare. _"Well, yes, I guess there is someone on my mind more then a something."_

_"Oh?" _Sirius stopped his playing and grinned broadly, his blue eyes twinkling. _"That someone got a name?"_

_"Yes, I guess it's rather obvious to you, right?"_

_"What really? I honestly can't think of anyone unless,"_ Sirius considered for a moment before he broke out into another grin. _"Evans? You fancy Evans?"_ It seemed plausible. She was one of the only girls he'd really seem Remus with at all. Pads was going to have a field day!

_"No you fool, I have feeling for, well sort of...Li. I fancy Li."_

Sirius laughed as he was brought back to the p. Oh this was too fun to pass up. He looked towards James to get his attention but-

That's odd, Sirius thought to himself. James was sprawled in Lily's lap fast asleep. The girl seemed to be leaning on a snoozing Severus shoulder.

"What on earth?"

He looked towards the other students, the twins were sleeping and Darin Wood and Barty Jr were sprawled in the isle. He looked at Remus who was tilted forward in slumber and Tae who seemed to be lightly breathing against Remus side.

"Moony, oy, Moony," his voice was slurred. He felt so heavy so tired.

From the other side of Tae, Sirius caught the image of Magnus Zabini. The beefy teenager was trying to get the window to slide open. You're not going to get it opened, Sirius wanted to say, look at it, it's nailed shut.

Zabini punched the thick plated glass causing it to crack beneath his fist before he collapsed back into his seat.

"Zabs gone an' broke the window...lots of trouble...barking mad..." Sirius last coherent thought was that the driver seemed to be wearing a gas mask.

* * *

**-**

** -Continued if'n there are reviews. (no flames)**


End file.
